How to Massage a Baby

Whether your baby is cranky or not you should take the time to massage him or her. Massaging your baby enhances the emotional bond with your child and can calm him down, improve sleep patterns and help digestion. It’s also a fantastic way for dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents and other caregivers to get to know the baby and bond with it.

Additionally, research has shown that gently massaging babies actually helps improve their growth and development. Premature babies especially benefit from being massaged.

According to one study, preemies who were massaged three times daily for ten days gained almost twice as much more weight, were more active and alert and were able to leave the hospital a week earlier than other infants.

One word of warning…you should not attempt to massage your infant if he or she is full or hungry. This could actually make your baby feel sick. Make sure the baby is completely warm, well fed and comfortable before you do anything. You might want to burp a baby first to prevent nausea while you are massaging him or her as well.

It is important that you are relaxed and comfortable as you massage the child and that you will not be interrupted. If you are not relaxed you will transfer all your stress to the baby and upset him or her. You should also make sure the room is warm enough and that there is soothing music playing.

It is best to lay your baby on his or her back and then massage the front of your baby first. Then flip him or her over and do the back. Laying the baby on a soft mat or towel is also a good idea. Be careful not to tickle the baby as he or she could find that quite upsetting as well. The baby will let you know if it is over stimulated by crying or making a big fuss.

You get great results if you massage the baby with oil. You can use any kind of vegetable oil or baby oil and you can even put a drop of essential oil in the mix. Just don't put in more than a drop as babies have sensitive skin. Also never put the oil on the baby's head or face.
It is also important to remember that not every baby likes to be massaged for a long time. A newborn may enjoy only two to five minutes of massage, while a child over two months of age might love being massaged even longer.

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High Tech Stuff For New Moms

I don't really have time to explore new gadgets and in fact I have usually found that taking the time to learn how a new gadget works can eat up my time. However there are some that are definitely useful out there on the market.
However my girlfriend bought the Portable Video and Sounds Monitor by Bebe Sounds. This is a wireless system that can be had for only about two hundred bucks. It is small, hand held and has crystal clear audio and video – the clearest I have ever seen. The image on the screen is also color which is not like the usual black and white ones found on the internet so you can really get an idea of what is going on. You can also use up to four lenses with this system so there are four channels on the monitor.
Bebe Sounds has another great invention. It is called the Remote Fever Monitor which measures the baby's body temperature at all times. You simply attach it to your baby's diaper but so that it is also against the skin and if your baby should happen to develop a fever the remote's alarm goes off. No more waiting for someone to get really sick before you discover the fever.
Easidream is another neat system. Babies that think they are still in the womb sleep better and cry less. This is a handy mom’s helper that attempts to replicate the conditions of the womb in your baby’s cot. It consists of a pneumatic system that can gently move the cot mattress, plus a sound-and-light module. The rocking motion and the teddy bear that you clip over the mattress helps keep your baby secure and calm. Of course this type of product does not really come with any type of guarantee. What works to keep one kid calm at night may not work on another.
Does your baby start yelling every time you wipe him or her down with a cold disposable wipe. The key is to warm them up so they have nothing to scream about. Everfresh makes a unit called the Ultimate Wipes Warmer which comes with something called an EverFresh system that stops bacteria from growing on them…
Do you really hate mixing in those dirty diapers with your family's washing? If so then you might want to consider buying an Avanti Mini Personal Washing Machine. This washer might be the thing for you because it allows you to be eco-friendly without having to risk tainting of the rest of your clothes with baby do do. This little washer sits on top of a table top and it also helps you get rid of the smelly diaper pail. All in all this makes life much more hygienic.

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